Sonepur Cattle Fair

Sonepur, a small town near Patna, India on the convergence of river Ganges and Gandak is known worldwide for having Asia’s largest cattle fair. Malegaon Mela, also known as Harihar Kshetra Mela which was started by Chandragupta Maurya (340 BC – 298 BC) at Hajipur and was shifted to Sonepur under the rule of the Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb (1618 AD-1707 AD) starts on Kartick Poornima (full moon).

It’s a fair for the trade of cattle such as elephants, horses, cows, donkeys, camels, and birds. Major attraction is the sight of numerous elephants, beautifully decorated for the purpose of sale. A wide variety of goods are sold in temporary stalls, ranging from garments, to weapons and furniture, toys, agricultural implements, jewellery and handicrafts.

Apart from the fair, people also visit this place for exorcism and do take a holy dip at the convergence and pay respect at the Hariharnath Temple.